Mr. Mick close-up

Well the renovation work lately has been very slow and boring so I'm posting a cute (if blurry) picture of Mick doing his thing, chillin on the sofa arm.

Drywall, Gypsum, Sheetrock

After a full weekend of hanging drywall, we're almost finished with the 2 front rooms. All that's left is 4 pieces in the kitchen. Once that is finished, we'll start doing the joint compound.

A Patchwork Ceiling

Last night, Paul and I got one sheet of drywall up and then decided halfway through positioning the second sheet that it was really a 3 person job. My brother was kind enough to come over and lend both his hands. Hopefully he doesn't have a concussion from when the drywall hit him on the forehead. Also, no matter how careful you are with these things, you will measure wrong (even twice!) and you will get smutz in your eyes. In fact the exhaust from the drill will blow it there at high speeds.

Thank you Jimmy!







And I got to see My String Bean, and her puppy Rocco who did his best to behave despite the very unhappy kitties who didn't want to share their home with him.

Think Pink

As you can see from the pictures, the furring strips have been added to the ceiling, and the fiber glass batting has been added to every nook and cranny of the room. The only insulation left is the rigid foam around the foundation and the old chiminey vent. Next up is drywall. For real this time ;-)

I'm a grad student!

I registered for my first class at UML today! I was so giddy, going to the registrar, going to check out the building and the math department. I'm taking Real Analysis.
I had forgotten how nice downtown Lowell can be. Paul and I had a little picnic lunch beside the Canal at St. Anne's. It makes me wonder how our lives would be different if we had bought one of the Mill loft condos instead of this little cottage.

In other news, I'm hating insulation. I have all this lovely drywall in my diningroom, and I'm stuck putting in itchy, scratchy, pink fiber glass into wall cavities that are either too wide or too narrow. I have visions of kneeling on the floor cutting this stuff until September.

48 sheets of drywall in my diningroom

This past Saturday I rented a van, went to Home Depot and spent about 2 hours waiting for them to bring a forklift around to get my drywall down from the stack. Then my poor dad and Paul loaded them into the house. I'm still prepping the walls but I can't wait for the stack to get smaller as the drywall goes up.

Ode to my motorcycle

She's my baby. I named her Apple. Most people tell me that I'll want a bigger bike or that I'll outgrow her. Many said that I'd outgrow her within the first season (we're now at the end of our 2nd year together). I think my love for her has only grown.

This past week the car has been at the mechanic more than it's been in our driveway, so I've been toting Paul (all 6 foot 2 inches of him) around on the back. We've also been going through an excruciating heat wave. Yesterday, I went and filled the tank and then worked out the mileage. 72 MPG. I don't know any cars with better mileage and if you know a bike with better mileage, I'd love to buy one for Paul.

I love her so much that I'm planning my future around spending more time with her. I'd like to get a job that won't require me to wear skirts and heels. I know I could always change once I got there, but it's easier if I don't.

long time, no blog...

I have since finished the second sock and presented them to my sis-in-law who loves them :) I tried to keep it on the down low that they were for her so that she would be surprised. And she was (or at least pretended to be). So I had all this microspun leftover and couldn't decide on what my next project should be so I started a pair of mini socks for the String Bean. Here's a picture of how far I got during our little weekend trip to Cleaveland, Ohio. We went to Bruce's Wedding. I wish I had pics but Paul forgot the camera ;-)

So here's a pic of the mini sock instead (dollar added for scale):


My next project will be a pair of arrrgyle socks for my brother-in-law for his birthday in September. That gives me just about a month. If I can find the right yarn I think that should be enough time. I hope he likes them :)